Just Fast Enough
by RaeEcho
Summary: He just met the kid and Bart's already running circles around him. That's enough to depress anyone.
1. Chapter 1

A/N- *cue horror music* I'm baaack... Miss me?

Alrighty, this episode tag (possible two shot) comes from 'Bloodlines' or episode 2x06. (I won't get into production codes or air dates, because Wikipedia has a tendency to be a big fat liar.) The idea stems from how Barry and Bart were doing that talking at million miles per hour thing, and running laps around Kid Flash. Poor Kid, I feel bad for him... So, I thought, why not exploit his misery for some reviews?

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He felt strange being back in uniform as brief as it lasted. Not that he didn't miss the adrenaline, the speed, or god forbid the tights, but he had promised himself that he was never going to go down that road again. He had thought that he had hung up his mantle for good. One call from Nightwing changed all that.

That call might as well ruined his night, because he knew the only thing he was going to do now was brood on his and Artemis's sofa until she came home. All the while, recounting the events that made him so miserable. It was like the entire night stuck on a freaking time loop.

It all started with the call and in the blink of an eye, he was out the door.

In record time he was at Jay and Joan's waiting to see if there was a chance he would be needed. He had gotten his hopes up yet again. His Uncle hadn't even needed him when he was the designated partner of the Flash. He had no idea what made him think that there was something that could have been gained from him meeting the new speedster.

Nevertheless, he raced over, and when he arrived, his heart all but dropped.

A kid with brown hair, light green eyes, and an attitude that could only come from an Allen, was all but jumping on his Uncle. It didn't take his advanced science courses on genetics to tell them that they were related. Nor did it take any of his hero training to recognize a pint sized speed demon. That kid, who he later found out was named Bart, had all the makings of the perfect Flash. Resentment bubbled in the pit of his stomach, but he pushed it down. It wasn't fair to the kid to judge him before he knew him. Even though he already had the connection with his Uncle that had taken Wally years to work up to.

He held his tongue for the most part during his visit. He listened to the discovery of Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry's twins, Bart's identity, the news of an attack in the middle of Central, hell, he even encouraged Bart to chase off after Barry like he had done so many years ago. He thought he was getting a handle on his unwarranted jealousy.

Or so he thought. His Aunt had given him that look that he knew all too well. She wanted him to go and make sure that the Flash made it back. She wanted him as close as he had once been to his Uncle. Ever since he stopped being Kid Flash, he drifted from his extended family. He blamed school and his amazing girlfriend, but the truth was, he didn't think that anyone wanted him around. The only thing he really had in common with his Uncle was the Flash. Without that, he was just the science dork of the family. It didn't help that he wasn't even related to him. When he stopped being a hero, the only binding factor between them was Aunt Iris, and the day she stopped forcing him to visit was the day hell got a water park.

Despite his protests, he still went to the fight. The familiar yellow and red slipped on just as well as it did two years ago, and he would be lying if he said he didn't miss it. Fighting back nostalgia, he started running like he hadn't done in years. It was fantastic. In seconds he was running into a police blockade. The idiotically placed blockade, he might add.

If the pulsing red light he could clearly see not too far away grew, the cops would be destroyed. He needed to get the trucks moved. He knew that if he were to jump in on Barry and Bart's movements, he would become more of a hindrance than a help. The least he could do was move the civilians out of the way, but the chief of police wasn't having it. As it turns out, if you retire for two years the cops aren't willing to listen to a word you say. At twenty years old he still had to get Barry to vouch for him. A word from his uncle, and the police were packing up and moving out.

However, that wasn't what almost killed him inside. What really put his misery over the edge was Impulse and Flash. They were working together like they had been doing it for years. They spoke to each other in a speed that he could never hoped to match. He couldn't keep up with them. As always, he was left behind.

He had been dancing around that realization for years before he finally understood that he would never be as fast as his Uncle. All the promises of being faster when he got older were lies stacked on lies. He figured that out when he was eighteen. That was the real reason he quit being a hero. He was afraid that he would be left so far behind, Uncle Barry would forget about him. Apparently, he was right.

They may have included him in their plan, but it was obvious to him that he wasn't contributing in the least bit. As usual, his Uncle sped past him, but this time he was accompanied by a red and white blur. The two of them circled him over and over again. It was one thing to admit his failure to himself, but it was another for his greatest insecurity to be rubbed in his face by a kid from the future.

He was dead weight, and that fact was only reinforced when he had to be half dragged out of the way of Neutron's explosion.

That moment pretty much set the tone of the rest of night. He couldn't see the breaks between Neutron's pulses, because he didn't have the 'Allen sight.' He watched Bart trip Barry, and he had to swoop in at the last minute with Jay to save them both. Then, to take the cake, Bart couldn't go home.

He wanted to scream. He was booted from his place at third best speedster to fourth in the course of one night. He wanted nothing more than to throw a tantrum like a five year old and eat everything in the fridge. The only thing stopping him was the threat of Artemis killing him. Life wasn't fair.

"You know I felt the same way about Tim when I first met him."

The sound of his best friend's voice cut through the darkened air of his apartment, and he was thankful that Artemis was taken a girl's night with Megan. If she caught Dick breaking in one more time she was going to shoot him with the stash of arrows she kept in the broom closet.

"Liar. You love Tim." He snapped back not even caring that his best friend had broken into his home again. Dick wasn't phased by his rudeness. He merely jumped over the back of the sofa and planted himself next to the redhead like he had been owned the place. Knowing Dick, if Wally brought up that detail, Dick would just buy the whole block out of spite.

"Not when I first met him. I thought Batman was replacing me." Wally understood that to some degree. Batman had given away the persona that Dick had created. It was his right to be angry, but he couldn't picture him not liking Tim. The two were as thick as thieves.

"At least Tim isn't everything you were trying to be." Wally sighed.

"Did you know he's better at computers than me?"

"No way." Wally didn't believe what he was hearing. After years and years of losing to Dick in every form of digital competition, it was impossible not to think of him as the best.

"Yep, the twerp can program circles around me, but I don't hold that against him. He's my little brother." Dick's words hung with an unspoken message, but he missed it entirely. Wally wished that he would stop beating around the bush and just tell him what to do. Dick was better at family crap than he was.

"What's that got to do with me and Bart?"

"Bart's your little brother."

"How do you figure that? I'm his cousin once removed. Understand? We're nothing alike and even if we were how could we be brothers?"

"It's not about what he is now, it's about what he will become. He needs someone other than his grandpa to show him the ropes. You have a lot to teach him."

"He can already run circles around me, there's nothing I can teach him." Wally was practically yelling in frustration. The one day he actually wanted his friend's advice was the day he decided to take up a job as a fortune cookie.

"You forget that I've met the kid. He doesn't need to learn to speed up. He needs someone to teach him how to slow down."

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A/N- So, that's it. If you think I should add another chapter tell me. If not, I'll end it here.

Feed the idea gnome, leave a review.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- Holy twenty-four reviews... Thank you for feeding the gnome, he was very happy.

For being awesome, I'll give you some Bart and Wally interaction.

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It took a lot to shock Wally. After all, he had a girlfriend that came from a family of assassins, a best friend from a world class circus act, and he had doubled as a vigilante for multiple years. Over the course of his adventures, he had been punched, stabbed, attacked, kidnapped, ambushed, and participated in countless other not so friendly activities. Not to mention that he kept finding daggers in Artemis's pockets when it was his turn to do the laundry. At his current stage in life, he figured that surprising him would be impossible.

He was wrong.

His day had started out normal enough. He woke up to cook breakfast, Artemis went to work, and he lounged around a bit, enjoying on of the rare days he didn't have work or class. The only thing he did out of the ordinary was run by the corner store to get gummy bears. He had run out days prior after preforming an experiment with the candy and some molten potassium chlorate. He was still regretting that idea.

To sum up his day, it was perfectly normal. Well it was until he arrived home after his excursion.

It wasn't every day one came home to see Bart Allen hoisting himself up, using the door frame, all in the name of looking through the windows at the top of his front door.

"Wally! Are you home?" Bart yelled into the glass, and it took most of his self control not to turn the other direction and run. How had Bart gotten his address? The kid had only come into their lives a week ago, and despite Dick's encouragement to accept him, Wally had been doing an amazing avoidance dance. He knew his friend wasn't happy with him, because of it. That still didn't explain...

'Wait a second...' Wally thought.

"Dick, you are one sneaky bastard." He mumbled under his breath. Pushing his irritation down, he approached the youngest speedster from behind. Bart hadn't noticed him, and Wally was half tempted to watch Bart stick his face up against the glass until he did. If it weren't for the fact that he had the nosiest neighbors known to man, he would have too. "Uh... Bart?"

"Wally!" Bart yelled as he jumped from the door frame and launched himself at the red head. "Dick said you wanted to see me. Which is weird, because I swore you were avoiding me, becauseyou'reneveratthecave. Iknowyou'renotKidFlashanymore,butafter-"

"Woah! Dude, slow down." Wally interrupted. If he didn't know an better, he would have thought his ears were bleeding. Bart looked at him bewildered. The kid had forgotten that Wally wasn't as fast as he was. He wasn't sure if he should be flattered or annoyed.

"Sorry, I guess I felt the mode right there." The younger boy apologized sheepishly and he rubbed the back of his neck. His words left an awkward silence hanging in the air, and the two of them stood there, looking at each other, and not saying a word.

"How about we just go inside?" He suggested, trying to break the tension. Taking his key out of his pocket, he unlocked the door with practiced movements. The door swung open, and in the blink of eye, Bart had already darted inside and plopped down on the sofa next to his dog.

"I didn't know you had a dog. What's it's name?" Bart asked before Wally could fully grasp what happened.

"Spitfire. I just call him Spit." He answered, coming to his senses, and the pitbull raised his head at hearing his name.

"Spitfire?"

"Don't look at me like that, I didn't name him." Wally defended himself, and he made his way to the couch at a normal speed.

"Why do you do that?" Bart asked as Wally pushed Spit off the couch and took his seat.

"What? If Spit wants to lay on a couch he can buy one himself."

"Not that. The walking thing. Why do you go so slow?" Bart asked, and the actual curiosity in his tone made him stop the sarcastic comments that were bubbling in his throat.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why did you walk when you can go so much faster?"

"Force of habit I suppose."

"Habit? You go that slow all the time?"

"Well Yeah."

"Why?" Wally couldn't believe his ears. Every speedster knew why normal speed was important. If they didn't automatically know, they figured out quickly or were told. It had a little to do with secret identities and more to do with family. Bart's dad should have taught him why from the very start.

"Just think of everything you would miss if rushed through life." He explained. "Half the fun is the wait. The best memories are made crammed into the back of a car on a road trip, waiting for the food to show up at a restaurant, and in line for only god knows what. It's about the journey, not the destination."

"Then why is there a destination in the first place?" Bart questioned, and Wally had to admit that it was a pretty good one.

"I guess because everybody need something to work towards." He said, "Didn't your dad tell you all this?"

Bart didn't answer. His eyes dropped to stare at the floor. Sadness radiated out of him, and Wally could tell that there was something that the newest member of the team wasn't telling them about the future. He had seen that kind of sadness before. He saw it in the eyes of Dick and Artemis. It was the look of a kid who was forced to grow up too quickly. Something had happened to Bart that he wasn't up for sharing, and Wally would bet that whatever it was caused him to seek refuge in the past. He wouldn't even put it past the younger boy to claim his time machine broken.

"Bart, what aren't you telling us?"

"Lot's of stuff, but I can't tell you. I might crash the mode." Sensing that the conversation would be over if he pressed to hard. wally didn't want that. He actually found himself liking his cousin from the future, and the tension wouldn't help anyone. But more than that, whatever Bart was hiding from, Wally knew that he wouldn't be the one to send him back to it, mentally or physically. If that meant not calling him out on his transparency, so be it.

"Can you at least tell me what the mode is?" He asked, keeping his tone light. He was trying to slowly shift the conversation. Apparently it worked, because Bart visibly relaxed and started meeting his eyes again.

"Nope." Bart replied, just like Wally thought he would.

"Why?"

"I could crash it."

"How about why I was removed from the family?"

"That's a long story." Bart said, grinning. Wally looked at the smile on his cousin's face and he briefly wondered if he really wanted to know.

"How long we talking about?" He asked, but he already knew deep down. A 'long story' translated to 'long enough to get hungry' in speedster talk.

Bart raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, I get it. I'll order pizza."

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A/N- I was only planning for this to be a one or two shot, but if you want it continued, let me know. Feel free to submit suggestions. I love me some input.

Feed the idea gnome, leave a review.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- Holy fifty reviews... I'm sorry for the slow update. I couldn't think of anything to write. The idea was being lazy. (I was not. Just to clarify.) But when I re-watched the last episode before the break, an idea was born! So, enjoy. This chapter came out weird to me. : /

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The house was too empty for his liking. Nothing had really changed all that much though. The newspaper and books he need for class were spread across the coffee table. Spit had taken up his spot on the couch, and each room was just how he left it. Messy yet organized.

Except, there was a certain wrongness in the air. There was no hint of Artemis's perfume circling around in the vents. No trace of the empty bags from the local doughnut shop that she had become addicted to. It still looked like Artemis lived there, but at the same time, it seemed like a light was cast over the things that brought her absence to the front of his mind. Everything and nothing reminded him of her.

She wasn't dead, but that didn't stop him from missing her. He didn't know what was worse. Knowing that she was alive and in a situation where she could be killed at any moment, or the prospect of not seeing her for what could add up to months. It was an impossible choice, and at his level of emotional exhaustion, he didn't bother himself to find an answer. It was taking everything he had to make his mind as blank and numb as possible.

"Hey, Spit." He called to their dog as he ventured further into the house. The ritualistic greeting brought him a brief sense of comfort, and it almost felt like it was a normal night. Walking without looking in a practiced manner, he dropped his keys on the coffee table and launched himself onto the couch, his frame filling the places that the dog did not.

Resting his head against the back of the couch, he sighed. It had been a really long week, and he knew that from there, his days and nights would only continue to grow in stress and time. He knew that he couldn't stay at the house, go to school, and work like everything was just fine and dandy. If he didn't keep himself occupied and off the topic of his undercover girlfriend he was going to go insane before the week was over.

His only option was to resurrect Kid Flash.

It wasn't his best plan, and every time he thought of the suit his mind flashed to moment where he and Artemis had decided to give up the hero business. They promised each other never again. Since then, he had gone out as Kid Flash with his Uncle and Bart once, and she was deep uncover in Black Manta's operation. He figured that the promise was already shot to hell, why not run with it?

Wally groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. He really needed to clear his head.

"I don't know about you Spit, but I need to run." He said to his dog. Spit merely look up at his owner with a pout then rolled over, making it clear what he thought of his owner's plan.

"Well then, I guess I'm running alone." He mumbled more to himself than his dog.

"Not necessarily." A voice cut through the silence as he was peeling himself off the couch. "Wow, you look like crap."

"Thanks, Bart." He nodded at the intruder, and paid him little attention after that as he stretched for his run. He wasn't going to mess with changing clothes. He was already sweaty and he didn't really feel like doing even more laundry considering he was alone on the house chore front. Not to mention it was freezing outside. He was keeping his jeans, end of discussion.

"Wally." Bart replied and he said nothing else. He just remained leaning against the doorway, watching him with a calculated look.

Silence fell between them, and Wally could practically see the elephant in the room sitting on his couch next to Spit. For some reason it was pink and resemble the one's from Dumbo. If that wasn't the weirdest thought he had in a while he didn't know what was.

"I take it you've heard." Wally said more as a statement than a question, and he straightened out of his last stretch. He felt Bart's eyes on him the entire time, and he tried to keep his face natural and unreadable.

"Superheroes love to gossip."

Wally grit his teeth a little. Was Artemis's 'death' nothing more than gossip to the people she thought of as family? That was a low blow. She had taken a break from the business for a while, but still... Harsh.

"There was gathering at the cave." Bart continued, leaving the question of why he wasn't there hanging. Bart wasn't stupid. He knew that Nightwing would have met with Wally hours after Artemis's death. Bart knew the time-table was right for him to attend the mourning huddle, as he had taken to calling it, even if it was only for a brief second towards the end. He knew that Wally thrived surrounded by people when crap hit the fan.

The only thing he didn't know was why Wally chose to suffer alone.

"We missed you."

"Are we having a therapy session or are we running?" Wally snapped. Without wasting another second, Wally stuffed his keys into his pocket and made a bee line for the door. Bart was trying to have the one conversation that he couldn't participate in. Not just because it would tear him up a little to lie to his cousin that he had become so close to over the course of a few weeks, but also because he would have to dive into what was really eating at his insides like some type of emotional parasite. What if Artemis had actually died?

"Sure. If, of course, your ready Captain Slow." Bart instantly bantered back with a smirk, and he followed Wally out the door. Bart was choosing to ignore the mood that Wally was in, because snapping at his cousin didn't phase him.

"Shut up." Wally joked for the first time since he found out about Artemis's mission. Slipping a hand into his pocket, he pulled out his goggles and snapped them on his head.

"You aren't alone, you know that?" Bart asked from behind him. Wally didn't turn to meet his gaze. He couldn't do it.

"Yeah." He said, trying to brush off the conversation as quickly as possible.

"I don't think you do." Bart continued. It was apparent that he wasn't letting it go without a fight. All that did was throw him over the edge. He didn't want to talk and he was getting enough pity from his parents and Uncle, he didn't need it from Bart as well.

"What do you want from me?" Wally yelled, turning on Bart. His frustration and anger was bubbling to the surface like a volcano that had finally decided that the village below it needed to be put in its place. Bart wouldn't stop pushing. He wouldn't leave him alone to deal with his emotions, not that he was actually dealing with them at all, but the point remained.

"I want you to talk to me!" Bart screamed back.

"I am talking to you!"

"No Wally, I want you to talk! Not this!" Bart said, gesturing towards him. "I want to help. It's been three days, and you all but dropped off the grid. Everyone was worried. I was worried." He added the last part as an after thought as if he wasn't planning on saying it. "I get it. She was your girlfriend, but she was my friend too, almost my sister even."

"I'm not having this talk with you."

"You need to."

"And why would that be?"

A look of sadness crossed Bart's face. He got a little pale around the edges and he looked like a piece of his world or his 'mode' crashed around him. "Because I wish I would've had someone to talk to."

"Bart, I-" He started, but he was already gone, only a few misplaced rocks remained as well as a very confused red-head. How could they have gone from joking, to screaming, to fighting so quickly? When had his nerves become so frayed that he couldn't even hold a conversation with someone?

Wally knew he had screwed up. Bart was trying to help not only his stubborn poor excuse for a mentor, but himself as well. Wally had shut him down and left a hurt teenager in his wake. He was so stupid, and he felt a scream of frustration building in his throat. He was tired of the lies. He missed Artemis. He had just stepped all over the only speedster sibling he was ever going to get. Problem after problem was rushing at him with no hope of slowing down to give him a reprieve. His own personal war was coming, and he didn't need to think long before he found his favorite option.

He ran.

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A/N- Review if you want me to follow this story line and if you want me to continue. (bonus points if you can tell me where the nickname 'captain slow' comes from)

The idea gnome enjoys the reviews and cookies... Now he wants more. Review.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N- As requested, I'm continuing the story line in the last chapter! Tah-Duh! Only one person got the Top Gear reference though... Such a shame.

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"Has anyone seen Kid Flash?" Nightwing asked the assembled heroes in before him. Bart felt that for a minute the intense gaze of their leader was directed at him. Maybe it was the knowledge that he was the last one who had seen the speedster that brought that on. Guilt was a difficult emotion. He hadn't meant to yell at the older hero, but things just seemed to happen that way. He said stupid stuff, Wally said stupid stuff, and he was starting wonder if there was a way to fix it.

He shouldn't have been so stubborn. Bart knew that now. He thought that if he left his surrogate older brother alone for a few days everything would go back to normal. Wally would eventually cool off, and come talk to him. He had been wrong.

Wally was gone. In a twisted way, Bart was relieved. Wally's loss reminded him of what he had to deal with all the time. The future was a messed up place to live. His memories couldn't be replaced with happier ones overnight. However, his saner side was in permanent freak out mode. His cousin was one of the first people he learned that cared about him, and not just because he was family. Wally taught him how to slow down and enjoy the little things. He was his friend, mentor, and brother...

The fact of the matter was, Bart missed him.

"I haven't seen him." Bart said in the most neutral tone he could muster. Around him he could hear the others voice responses similar to his own, but they seemed to blur together. His thoughts were elsewhere. Plans were being formed. He was going to find his cousin if it killed him. He had already decided on this earlier. He had been chasing down leads all day before being called into training.

Nightwing paced in front of them, and Bart could see he was just as worried about Wally. Bart debated informing him of the fight, but he couldn't do it. It was his mess to fix. "Has something happened?" Cassie asked, disrupting his thoughts with her chipper tone.

"Nothing you need to worry yourselves with. Just can't seem to track him down." Nightwing reassured with a fake smile. Bart saw through it in a heartbeat, their leader was tense. As usual, things were being hidden from them. While on one hand, Bart could see why the details concerning a founding member of Young Justice would be kept on the classified side. He still couldn't help but be annoyed.

What made it worse was that he didn't even get a chance to voice his opinion, because Nightwing was already dismissing the group before another word could be said over the matter. Bart knew Dick wasn't willing to share any information he had, but he didn't care. He was determined to find out whatever he could.

As soon the last member of the team disappeared in the teleporter and the residents of Mount Justice left the main hall, he made his move. Rushing over to the older teen at lightning speed, his mouth was moving at a rapid pace, firing off question after question. His strategy was to bombard until he got the answers he wanted. He figured it was as good as plan as any.

"Whatareyouhiding? What'sgotyousoworried? Wheredoyouthink-" A gloved hand reached out and muffled his mouth, making Bart glare at its owner.

Nightwing glared back with just as much force before speaking. "I am going to remove my hand very slowly. When I do, you are going to talk slower, and make a bit more sense, comprende?" He asked, talking slow as if Bart were a three year old.

Bart nodded. Nightwing smirked and withdrew his hand. Not even a second after he did so, Bart tried again. "What are you keeping from us?"

"Nothing." Nightwing replied gruffly. "Nothing at all."

"Liar. What's going on?" Bart said with as much authority as he could. His question technique hadn't worked. Dick wasn't sharing. It looked like Batman hadn't taught him that sharing was caring. In all honesty, he should have really seen that one coming.

"Nothing." Dick insisted, and without giving Bart a chance to call him on it again, he started to leave. His posture made it clear that if Bart tried to catch him, Nightwing would kick his ass. This worried him. If it was bad enough to get the fearless batboy worried it was something huge.

And apparently, that 'huge' thing concerned Wally. His family.

"Tell me." He shouted after his leader.

"Leave it Bart." The black haired teen replied, not breaking his stride. Bart was getting desperate. By himself, he had no leads. He had already been by Wally's house, his college, and even his favorite buffet earlier that day. Options were becoming slim to nonexistent. He knew he could find Wally if he knew the general direction to look, and he knew that the person who could give him a compass wasn't giving it up.

"Tell me or I'll tell them." He said quietly. Nightwing froze in his tracks. Bart tried not to let his nervousness show. He hadn't planned on sinking so low. Wally was lucky to have him.

"Tell who what?"

Steeling his nerves, he clarified his statement. "I'll tell the team your name." Bart's threat hung in the air and made the atmosphere thicker the longer it lingered. He knew better than anyone how much Dick wanted his privacy. Not to mention that the revelation of the first Robin would bring the identities of the whole clan into the open. He just issued the kind of threat that got people sent to the hospital to the person who sent them there.

"You're really willing to play that card for this?"

"Yep." Bart said, popping the 'p.'

"Come with me Bart. We've got a lot to talk about." Nightwing conceded. Bart knew that it just wasn't because of his threat that he had won. Dick was bone dead tired.

Bart raced to Dick's side, "About what?"

"Something that's not meant to be said in the area of kryptonian ears." Nightwing paused and let out a tired breath. Bart would have been hanging off the edge of his seat if he had been sitting. Nightwing noticed, and took pity on him.

"Some heroes are being taken," He whispered, "and I think Wally is one of them."

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A/N- I hope you guys don't hate me too much for the delay. Time flies. Next one will be longer, sorry this so short.

Feed the idea gnome, leave a review.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N- A new chapter. So soon? I know. I know. You love me. (_But what about that hiatus you took for a long time!_) Shut up... I trying to make amends. So, I give you Wally's abduction!

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Wally was lost. In retrospect he shouldn't have gone barreling off in any direction he felt like, but he was going to use the 'out of my mind' card on that one. It probably wouldn't hold up in a court of law, but then again, he wasn't on trial, was he? Well, at least not yet. He knew when Nightwing finally hunted him down though, he most certainly would be.

Running a shaky hand through his hair, Wally fell to his knees. What was he doing? He felt like an idiot running off to the middle of nowhere, which, now that he thought about it, looked kind of like Utah. He had no provisions, no cash on hand, and he had left his ID back at his place along with his phone. Which was a major problem considering he didn't think he would be up to making a return trip in his condition.

His legs ached from the continuous strain he had put them under for the past few hours, and he could feel his stomach crying out for something to eat, making his body feel weak. To make things worse, those problems were only the beginning. His head was pounding behind his temples, forming the mother of all headaches, and he felt the familiar feeling of blood trickling down his legs and on the bottom of his feet. He had all but run himself into the ground, zipping across America as fast as he had allowed himself to go. He hadn't been wearing his suit, a stupid idea when he said he was going for a run.

Then again, he didn't count on traveling across North America a few times. Apparently, neither did his trainers, because they were torn to shreds.

Wally groaned. Things just kept getting more and more complicating as time passed. His girlfriend was gone for what was going to see like ever. He became a mentor to a kid from the future. Not to mention, that with every passing moment, he found himself missing the hero business more and more. It was driving him nuts. He knew why he left, and he was still positive that being a hero would get him killed, but he missed the rush. Bart entering his life reminded him of the adrenaline that came from his former line of work, and Wally felt like he was becoming an addict to something he gave up. In all honesty, he probably was.

"I am so screwed." Wally said to himself. Sitting back on his haunches, he looked up to the sky. The stars were out. Their lights shinning through the inky blackness of night, and he was grateful for their glow. He never really got a view of the stars back in the city.

The speedster let out a chuckle. Here he was in the middle of the desert, somewhere in Utah, running away from his problems, and having an internal monologue about stars.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Wally jumped up like he had been electrocuted, and tried his very best to keep himself from tapping into his super speed. His legs protested to his movement, but he ignored it. As it turned out, he was facing someone he knew all too well, and that was far from a good thing.

"Little Flash Jr. All alone." Mr. Sprynt taunted, stepping closer, his armor glowing under the moon light. The former henchman of the once notorious Central City crime boss, Turtle, was back.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Wally lied, but the man saw through it.

"There's no need to lie. I know exactly who you are, Wallace West." Mr. Sprynt grinned at him. His look screaming nothing other than 'I'm psychotic and here to kill you.' His eyes were looking at Wally like he was prey, and to be honest, he probably was. He didn't have the energy to fight the man off, and he knew that one punch from the electrified fists in front of him would mean lights out.

He used the only defense he had available, acting like a civilian. A pathetically clueless civilian who didn't know anything about anybody. It was a good thing he was so good at playing stupid. "W-who are you? What d-do you want with me?" Wally said in the most terrified tone he could muster.

"Don't act innocent. I'm a bit smarter than that." Sprynt was getting annoyed, and Wally could see that as plain as day. That did not bode well for him. "I've been hunting you for a while now. I'd like to thank I know you like I know myself." With each word, the villain took a step closer and Wally took a step back despite the pain.

"W-whoever you are, s-stay away f-from m-me!"

"Don't be like that. My employer just wants to have a chat, that's all."

"W-with me?"

Sprynt growled, "You should oblige him, he has paid a hefty price for me to hunt you down."

"Why?" Wally asked, stalling like he had never stalled before. He was hoping that he could buy enough seconds for his legs to heal and get the hell out of dodge. His empty stomach wasn't helping but he would take what he could get. If Mr. Sprynt's past record was anything to go by, he was not fun to deal with, Uncle Barry had told him that much. At one point, Wally had briefly wondered what happened to the criminal after his boss died in an explosion, but now he was wishing he still didn't know. Whoever his new employer was, was funding his mercenary very well. The once plastic armor on Sprynt had been upgraded to high tech metal, and Wally would bet that his fists had gotten the same treatment. Today was not his day. Hell, the entire year was not his year.

"Come with me and find out. I would rather not damage merchandise before I hand it over."

"S-Stay away from me!" Wally screamed, repeating himself. His legs were still bleeding, meaning he could run, but not fast, and not far. He just needed a little bit more time.

"Just because I don't like damaged goods, doesn't mean I won't rough them up a bit when needed." Sprynt raised his fist, and energy cackled to life around it as he charged at the red head.

Wally couldn't run. His legs were too torn, and he was way too hungry. In fact, he was even starting to have a hard time standing. His only two options were to fight or keep up the civilian persona and take the hit. Either way, he wouldn't be winning. Whatever turn of events happened, he would be off to meet Sprynt's employer, he would be kidnapped, and the likelihood of his release afterwards would be slim to none.

Bracing himself for the oncoming fist, Wally shut his eyes. Trying to make the punch hurt less, he let the air out of his body, and with that breath he whispered the words he hoped to get to say to his cousin in person one day...

"I'm sorry, Bart."

* * *

A/N- Yeah, I know that Mr. Sprynt was a henchman of Turtle, lets just pretend that he got a new employer after Turtle died. This is my story, I'll spin it how I want to. So, I'll be the first to admit that was a tad bit cheesy, but everyone likes a good dairy product now and then. (Except for lactose intolerant people, sorry dudes and dudets. Since you don't like cheese, how about some apples?)

Feed the idea gnome, leave a review.


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